BLUF
Some managers have begun to distrust the concept of Work from Home (WFH).Summary
Forbes contributor Lisa Bodell argues the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a lack of trust from leaders and managers regarding their work-from-home (WFH) employees. Further, some companies seem to be disregarding what real productivity might look like. Bodell makes the following points:
There is a growing divide between superficial productivity and actual productivity.
In organisations where bureaucrats are valued higher than innovators or achievers, you’ll see non-stop meetings and emails instead of measurable progress toward business goals.
When enough of these ‘leaders’ are rewarded with promotions, you get a workplace rife with mistrust and poor communication.
Fear-based work cultures favour ineffective metrics like ‘the number of hours worked, rather than ‘the number of goals achieved’.
The appearance of being hard-working often ends up replacing the actual work you were hired to do.
The pressure to maintain the illusion of productivity gets stronger the higher you climb.
That some leaders distrust workers might be demonstrated in surveys that show a high percentage of managers are pushing for workers to return to the office.
Since flexible work practices became the new normal in early 2020, non-executives have reported two silver linings—no more commuting and better work-life balance.
If employers don’t listen to their employees and embrace permanently flexible and hybrid-work environments, they might lose talent to companies that are more flexible.
References
May 2021 HBR Don’t Let Employees Pick Their WFH Days
Jun 2021 ZDNet Work from home is here to stay: Companies must adjust to succeed says ServiceNow's Chief Customer and Partner Officer
Jul 2021 The Guardian Is your boss ending remote work? As a CEO, let me tell you why they are wrong
Jul 2021 The Atlantic Why Managers Fear a Remote-Work Future
